Side-swiped: A Motorhome Adventure

by Ellen Gardner

When eighty-year-old Walter Emmons decides to buy a thirty-seven foot motorhome, his wife Ernestine is not only shocked because he's never been the least bit interested in traveling, but she is deathly afraid that something will happen to him and she will have to drive it. As Walter goes through bewildering changes, their golden-years adventure turns into a luckless misadventure. Then they pick up Clover, a very pregnant hitchhiker headed to Manhattan. With heart and humor, they help each other navigate the unexpected turns.

224 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 22, 2018

About the author

Ellen Gardner has always loved reading and writing. Memoirs, historical fiction, and creative non-fiction are her favorite genres, along with children's books. Before settling down in Southern Oregon where, incidentally, she was born, Ellen lived and worked in several places throughout the western US. Among other things, she's been the teller in your bank's drive-up window, the lady behind the counter at the tax office, and the person who took the telephone order for your Christmas pears. Retired, she's now most often seen boarding an airplane or aiming a camera.

Ellen's first book, Veda, was written after her father's diaries annoyed her so much she was compelled to tell her mother's side of the story. Her latest novel, Side-swiped, is a funny, sad, and insightful story dealing with motorhome travel, pregnancy, and dementia.

Ellen and her new husband, Jerry, having lost their former spouses to Alzheimer's disease, are enjoying their freedom to travel. When they are home, they volunteer for the Alzheimer's Association by facilitating caregiver support groups.

You can connect with Ellen on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/ellengardner... and
https://www.facebook.com/Veda-a-novel...
And at www.amazon.com/author/ellengardnerhauck

Reviews

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellen knows her subject matter because she lived it. Sometimes her descriptions are so spot on that the reader has to stop and take a breath before continuing. The only criticism I can make would be that I wish she had put the name sundowning to Walter's confusion in the late afternoons and early evenings. While every case is different and progresses differently for those of us living with someone with dementia, we can identify strongly with this couple and their portrayal. Thank you Ellen!

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful story of retirement, aging, traveling and love and the very reason I never encouraged my husband to purchase a motor home.